Chris Stuckmann’s directorial debut, Shelby Oaks, shows the nascent director has some horror chops, but the film wastes much of its promising potential.
Shelby Oaks
Directed By: Chris Stuckmann
Written By: Chris Stuckmann
Starring: Camille Sullivan, Sarah Durn, Brendan Sexton III, Keith David
Release Date: October 24, 2025
While I’m a noted horror-weenie, I’ve been very interested in seeing Shelby Oaks since the marketing first kicked off. Years ago, I remember the waves being made when the mysterious ‘Paranormal Paranoids’ videos began taking YouTube by storm. It was intriguing to watch so many of the paranormal channels I enjoyed watching begin to pick up the story of a “lost” webseries that vanished off the internet when something happened to its cast.
They disappeared without a trace, leaving behind only a series of uploads to their channel that got increasingly more weird. Seemingly pointing to something more disturbing going on with it’s host, Riley Brennan (Sarah Durn). Riley’s final video teased something terrible had happened, but ultimately revealed nothing to the police desperately searching for her.
It was chilling, made for an engaging watch, and felt all too real. It was a pretty brilliant viral story that managed to recapture the same feeling of the original Blair Witch Project. It was just believable enough for people to buy into, and even when you knew it was scripted, managed to still be engaging enough to make you want to keep coming back.
Shelby Oaks serves as a conclusion to those YouTube videos; combining the found footage elements that made those videos so creepy with a more traditional narrative approach. The focus is on Riley’s older sister, Mia Brennan (Camille Sullivan), who’s never stopped searching for her.
While filming a new documentary about her missing sister and the ‘Paranormal Paranoids’ a mysterious man shows up on her doorstep and…well, he shoots himself unexpectedly. Most surprising, however, is he was holding an old mini-DV tape that turned out to have previously unseen footage from Riley and her team’s final investigation.
The new evidence and revelations it brings puts Mia on the path to finally discovering the truth behind Riley’s disappearance. As Mia dives deeper, she uncovers not only details about what really happened in the abandoned ghost town of Shelby Oaks, but the reality behind something sinister that’s haunted them since childhood.
Much of this is what you can figure out from the trailers. As such, I’ll leave it at this and avoid spoilers for those interested in going in fresh. If you’re curious at all about the film, I would definitely avoid hitting any spoilers, as the mystery aspect is easily the best part of the movie.
Generally speaking, there’s a lot of good things cooking in this film. The overall idea is an intriguing one that builds off the ‘Paranormal Paranoids’ in some really neat ways. The found footage parts of the movie are genuinely chilling and manage to keep the tension ratcheted up even when nothing outwardly scary happens in them. They’re impressively handled, bringing a level of realism to the story (again like Blair Witch), and showcasing how powerful the genre can still be when done well.
Shelby Oaks begins to struggle, however, as it transitions away from that aspect. The bulk of the movie is actually told in the more traditional style, with the found footage stuff coming in heavily on the front end and sprinkled throughout in some juicy tidbits that expand the story. Watching Mia unravel the mystery helps tie it all together and makes for some seriously intense moments as she catches things in the footage, or we—the audience—spot things just ahead of her.
There comes a point in the film, though, when just about everything is laid out and all that’s left is for Mia to fill in the missing piece of it all. This largely serves as the film’s final act where Mia’s investigation brings her to the remnants of Shelby Oaks. It’s also where things begin to fall apart.
The story leans deeper into the paranormal, bringing in elements of demonic haunting/possession flicks and…something else that would be a little too spoilery to mention. In terms of story, these parts aren’t bad and have some great story elements wrapped in there. The problem is the execution. As bold as the film starts in how it approaches blending genres to tell a unique story, it ultimately relies on familiar tropes/cliches to finish everything up.
Combine this with some questionable choices/logic of its lead character and we’re left with an ending that not only feels anti-climatic, it’s almost needlessly cruel to boot. There’s a really good story here and a big part of me wishes the filmmaker had stuck with the hybrid found footage/documentary approach it started with. Even with the same ending, I think it would have made certain aspects more palatable and engaging from the shift in perspective.
In some ways, I’m a little disappointed. Shelby Oaks takes some really big, really fun swings from the outset, but whiffs in its final act by relying on the familiar. On the other hand, it is nice to get a conclusion to the ‘Paranormal Paranoids’ story and to see how it evolved from an online phenomena. Plus, Chris Stuckmann definitely has some sauce when it comes to horror. There are excellent scary moments and the tension building is off the charts (especially early on). A little more experience and tempering, and he’s got a great horror movie in him for sure.
Shelby Oaks shows there is still life in the found footage genre, it just needed a story that used it to its full potential. There are flashes of greatness here and the big swings feel refreshing even if they ultimately miss the mark. While the final act brings the whole thing down overall, it’s quick run time and breakneck pacing won’t leave you bored.
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